Parasites of domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica) in Sebele, Gaborone, Botswana

The following parasites were found in apparently healthy pigeons kept in Sebele: a haemoprotozoan, Haemoproteus columbae (80 %); endoparasite metazoan nematodes, Ascaridia columbae (30%) and Dispharynx spiralis (10 %); a cestode, Raillietina sp. (80 %) and coccidian oocysts (40 %); 2 ectoparasites, namely the pigeon fly, Pseudolynchia canariensis (50 %) and the louse, Columbicola columbae (30 %). The pigeons also had high antibody titres, (1:256) to the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii (100 %). The latter infection in these domestic pigeons has public health implications.